Former New Bern employee charged with embezzlement

A former city of New Bern tax clerk has been charged with embezzlement. Susan Rae Sutton, 28, of Vanceboro, is charged by the State Bureau of Investigation with two felony counts of embezzlement of over $9,000 by a public officer or trustee.

A former city of New Bern tax clerk has been charged with embezzlement.

Susan Rae Sutton, 28, of Vanceboro, is charged by the State Bureau of Investigation with two felony counts of embezzlement of over $9,000 by a public officer or trustee.

District Attorney Scott Thomas said his office was notified by city officials of apparent discrepancies in tax office accounts in mid-2012 while Sutton was employed as a tax clerk there.

“I contacted the State Bureau of Investigation to have them conduct the investigation,” Thomas said. “They have completed their investigation and developed probable cause to charge Ms. Sutton with two felony counts of embezzlement by a public officer or trustee. The warrants alleged that she embezzled $5,766.22 in 2011 and $3,270.05 in 2012.”

One charge covers the period of March through November 2011, and the other covers the period from January through May 2012, according to the warrants prepared by SBI Agent Steven Combs.

Mayor Lee Bettis and the New Bern Board of Aldermen were informed of the charges during a closed session of the board Tuesday night.

Guarded in his comments to protect the former employee’s presumption of innocence, Bettis said, “We were advised that this was coming. We need to let the district attorney and law enforcement do their jobs. Once this winds its way through the legal system and I know the outcome, I’ll have a stronger statement on the issue. Let Scott Thomas, who is great at his job, see what the facts in the case show.

“I think there was a suspicion of irregularities, but nothing confirmed, and I don’t have anything on the investigation at all,” Bettis continued. “I haven’t been questioned by law enforcement.”

Sutton, who began working as a tax clerk for the city in July 2008, was terminated May 28, 2012, for unacceptable conduct by an employee, said Colleen Roberts, New Bern’s public information officer. She began work making $12.12 per hour and was being paid $12.73 per hour when she left.

After turning herself in to authorities and being served with the warrants Tuesday, Sutton made her first appearance in Craven County District Court Wednesday morning with her attorney Kelly Greene.

She was released on her written promise to appear June 5 to answer to the charges in the case, which is being prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Robert McAfee.

Embezzlement by a public officer or trustee is a Class F felony and, in this case, carries a maximum punishment of 16 to 20 months in prison per count.

Sue Book can be reached at 252-635-5665 or sue.book@newbernsj.com. Follow her on Twitter@SueJBook.